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The greater amberjack Seriola dumerili is a new aquaculture fish that may display reproductive dysfunctions. During extensive follicular atresia, which is a common reproductive dysfunction in females during vitellogenesis, part of the reabsorbed yolk returns to the liver to be metabolized and recycled. Melanomacrophage centres (MMCs) are aggregates of macrophage‐like cells that play a role in the destruction, detoxification and recycling of endogenous and exogenous materials, and have been associated with systemic stress. Wild and captive‐reared greater amberjack were sampled in the Mediterranean Sea during two different phases of the reproductive cycle. The liver of reproductively dysfunctional captive‐reared females sampled during the spawning season showed a high density of both MMCs and apoptotic cells. A weak liver anti‐cytochrome P450 monooxygenase 1A immunoreactivity was observed, suggesting that the examined fish were not exposed to environmental pollutants. We propose that the observed increase in MMCs and apoptosis in captive‐reared fish was related to the hepatic overload associated to the metabolism of yolk proteins reabsorbed during extensive follicular atresia. Since follicular atresia is a frequent physiological and pathological event in teleosts, we suggest that the reproductive state should be always assessed when MMCs are used as markers of exposure to stress or pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]